Construction worker dies after Anne Arundel crash, DUI suspected

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(PHOTO: MGN)

Construction worker dies after Anne Arundel crash, DUI suspected

(PHOTO: MGN)

ANNE ARUNDEL, Md. — One construction worker is dead, and another seriously injured after a driver plowed into a closed lane in Severn on July 26 and struck the two men.

Around 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Walter Gonzales-Lopez, 56, and Edin Romero-Maldonado, 19, were laying down cones to close off the right lane of northbound Annapolis Road at Walker Drive. Police say Valerie Matthews, 63, drove her pickup truck into the closed lane and struck the men where they were standing.

The workers were taken to Shock Trauma in Baltimore, where Gonzales-Lopez died the following Sunday. Romero-Maldonado suffered serious injuries, but Matthews was uninjured.

Anne Arundel Police say that Matthews was suspected to be driving under the influence of alcohol and was taken in for a sobriety test. They believe the crash was due to Matthews’ apparent failure to heed the lane closure, but they call alcohol “a likely contributing factor”. The lane had been closed for a half-mile leading up to where the accident occurred.

Matthews has not yet been charged with any crime. The Traffic Safety Section is handling the crash investigation, and any charges will come after the State’s Attorney reviews the case.